Celtic Giving Cervi A Try

He could end up being the keeper that Chicago Fire fans will feel got away from them. Dominic Cervi, the US U-23 national team goalkeeper and 2008 Chicago Fire draft pick is on trial with Scottish power Celtic.

I said at the time that Cervi turned down the Fire’s offer of a minimum salary contract, valued at about $32,000 a year, was a tough break for the club. But the thing is it was a very low-ball effort on the part of MLS and the Fire. Cervi is now in line to potentially win big here and land a very nice contract with Celtic, who is in the market for a keeper this coming summer.

A 21-year-old native of Oklahoma, Cervi played for the U.S. U-23 national team in Olympic Qualifying last month. He started in two matches, including the 1-0 loss to Honduras in the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Championship match. The Fire selected him with the No. 12 overall pick in January’s MLS SuperDraft.

I believe he would have easily been in line to get the starting role had he been signed before training camp a couple months back. Again, tough blow for the Fire but you have to tip your hat to the kid for going with his heart here and giving it a go with one of the world’s best clubs.

This comes to show that those low ball offers from the league can easily turn into something good for the player if the right club presents itself to him. We all know that MLS has to start stepping up their efforts in future drafts to ensure that players of this quality don’t bolt for better things right away. I think in time the Fire will wish they had given him a better offer.

Ian

The Fire should have offered a bit more to try to keep Cervi, but from a national team perspective, and from the player's perspective, it's a good move. He's not ready for the starting job at a team like Celtic – that's for sure – but if they can hold onto Boruc beyond the summer, or pick up another world-class keeper, even playing backup and a few cup matches in Glasgow will be fantastic for him. He certainly deserves more than $32k.

The Fire should have offered a bit more to try to keep Cervi, but from a national team perspective, and from the player’s perspective, it’s a good move. He’s not ready for the starting job at a team like Celtic – that’s for sure – but if they can hold onto Boruc beyond the summer, or pick up another world-class keeper, even playing backup and a few cup matches in Glasgow will be fantastic for him. He certainly deserves more than $32k.